Selling surgical sutures in Egypt: a distributor and importer for suture manufacturers
Last verified:
Surgical sutures (HS 3006.10) pay 5% import duty in Egypt and suture needles (HS 9018.32) 2%, both 0% for EU, UK, EFTA and Turkish goods with proof of origin, while sutures from the USA, India, China, Korea and Mexico pay the MFN rate (official tariff, NAFEZA). Sutures are Class IIb or III devices that need full EDA registration before release, and lines from non-reference countries such as China, India, Turkey, Korea or Pakistan go to an EDA scientific committee first — a sample, a list of hospitals already supplied and clinical data if requested (EDA import guideline). Egypt imported US$13.06 million of sterile sutures, tissue adhesives and haemostats in 2024, with the USA (US$3.15 million) and Germany (US$2.17 million) the largest origins (World Bank WITS).
Buying in Egypt?
Hospitals, labs and clinics in Egypt can order from the UltraTeb online shop.
Go to the UltraTeb shopA manufacturer or exporter?
Supply your products to Egypt — and from there to Africa and the Middle East — with UltraTeb Market Access.
Apply — 2 minutesUltraTeb Market Access is a zero-upfront-fee route into Egypt's medical market: UltraTeb registers, imports, markets, stores and sells your product, shares the risk, and pays you when it sells.
Buying sutures in Egypt? Hospitals and surgical centres can see the range and ask for a quote on UltraTeb's B2B web shop, in its surgery and device consumables category: surgery and device consumables on shop.ultrateb.com. The rest of this page is for manufacturers who want to sell in Egypt.
What are the key facts for surgical sutures in Egypt?
| Fact | Value | Source | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| HS codes | 3006.10 sterile surgical sutures incl. absorbable (national line 3006.10.00.10; dental sutures 3006.10.00.15; sterile tissue adhesives, laminaria and absorbable haemostats 3006.10.00.20/.90); 9018.32 needles for sutures supplied without thread (9018.32.00.90); adjacent: surgical mesh 3005.90.10.10 and other hernia meshes 3005.90.10.90 | nafeza.gov.eg | |
| Import duty (MFN) | Sutures (3006.10.00.10) 5%; suture needles (9018.32.00.90) 2%; surgical mesh (3005.90.10.10 / .90) 2% | nafeza.gov.eg | |
| Import duty with a trade agreement | 0% for EU, UK, EFTA and Turkish origin with proof of origin. MERCOSUR: 87.5% reduction. AfCFTA: 80% or 40% reduction. Serbia: 25% reduction. Goods from the USA, India, China, Korea and Mexico pay the MFN 5% | nafeza.gov.eg | |
| Import VAT | 14% shown on the official tariff line for sutures. Law 149 of 2026 added a 5% rate for medical devices used to provide services; it is not confirmed that single-use supplies qualify, so we confirm your product's rate before pricing. The surgical mesh line 3005.90.10.10 shows 0% VAT (14% still due on freight); other hernia meshes (3005.90.10.90) show 14% | nafeza.gov.eg | |
| EDA route | Full EDA registration as a medical device for sterile items of every class, held by a local importer or scientific office; a sterile device filed for new registration is not released until the notification is issued. Every shipment also needs an EDA import approval, filed on MeDevice, valid 1 year for the whole shipment and not divisible; goods must not ship before approval. Certificates from non-reference countries must be legalised | edaegypt.gov.eg | |
| Typical class | Non-absorbable sutures Class IIb; absorbable sutures Class III; sutures used on the heart or central circulatory system Class III — under the EU rules EDA follows | health.ec.europa.eu | |
| Trap: scientific committee | Because sutures are Class IIb or III, suture lines from non-reference countries (China, India, Turkey, Korea, Pakistan and others) are referred to EDA's specialised scientific committees — a sample plus a list of hospitals already supplied, and clinical data if requested — before import or registration proceeds | edaegypt.gov.eg | |
| Trap: sterile release | New sterile registrations are not released until the registration notification is issued; there is no import-while-registering window for a new suture | edaegypt.gov.eg | |
| Trap: prior approval on the tariff line | Customs rule ق4049 on the suture line requires a prior EDA import approval, so goods cannot be cleared without it | nafeza.gov.eg | |
| Egypt suture, adhesive and haemostat imports, 2024 (HS 3006.10) | US$13.06 million: USA 3.15M, Germany 2.17M, India 1.29M, Switzerland 1.17M, Mexico 1.13M, Korea 1.08M, Spain 0.71M, Italy 0.34M. The line includes tissue adhesives and absorbable haemostats, not only sutures | wits.worldbank.org | 2024 |
Duty and VAT from Egypt's official tariff (NAFEZA, Ministry of Finance single window). Registration rules from EDA's import-approval guideline; classes from the EU's MDCG 2021-24 guidance. Trade values are Egypt-reported CIF imports for the whole HS6 line (UN Comtrade data via World Bank WITS). Last verified 2026-09-25.
Last verified:
What does it take to sell surgical sutures in Egypt?
-
Have the certificates ready
A Notified-Body CE certificate (EU MDR) Class IIb for non-absorbable or Class III for absorbable sutures, ISO 13485:2016, a Declaration of Conformity and a Free Sale Certificate. Testing to the Ph. Eur. or USP suture monographs (diameter, tensile strength, needle attachment), sterilisation validation (ISO 11135 or ISO 11137), ISO 10993 biocompatibility and a clinical evaluation report support the file.
-
Legalise them if you are outside the reference countries
Certificates from non-reference countries such as China, India, Turkey or Korea must be legalised. Reference-country certificates are exempt from legalisation.
-
Prepare for the scientific committee
Class IIb and III sutures from non-reference countries go to EDA's specialised scientific committees with a sample, a list of hospitals already supplied and clinical data if requested. Sutures made in an EDA reference country, such as an EU member, Switzerland or the USA, skip this step.
-
Register with EDA through a local holder
Only an Egyptian importer or scientific office can hold the registration, and a new sterile suture is not released until the registration notification is issued.
-
Get an import approval and pay duty and VAT
Each shipment needs an EDA import approval on MeDevice before it ships (rule ق4049 on the tariff line). Duty is 5% on sutures and 2% on suture needles, or 0% with a valid EU, UK, EFTA or Turkish proof of origin, then import VAT.
-
Sell to the right buyers
Private hospitals and surgical and day-surgery centres, obstetrics and gynaecology hospitals, dental clinics for dental sutures, and UPA tenders where the product can compete.
Who buys surgical sutures in Egypt?
- UPA tenders and framework call-offs. Since financial year 2025/26 these are tripartite contracts: the Unified Procurement Authority (UPA) issues the order and the requesting public hospital pays.
- Ministry of Health and university hospitals, buying through UPA.
- Universal Health Insurance and Health Insurance Organization facilities.
- Private hospital groups and private hospitals.
- Private surgical and day-surgery centres.
- Obstetrics and gynaecology hospitals.
- Dental clinics, for dental sutures.
Why do some sutures take longer to register?
Because of the class and the origin together. Sutures are Class IIb or III under the EU rules EDA follows, and Class IIb and III products from countries that are not EDA reference countries are referred to EDA's specialised scientific committees — with a sample, a list of hospitals already supplied and clinical data if requested — before import or registration proceeds (EDA import guideline). For a maker in China, India, Turkey, Korea or Pakistan, that committee step is the main time risk.
Sutures made in an EDA reference country, such as an EU member, Switzerland or the USA, skip it, and EU, UK, EFTA and Turkish origin also enters duty-free. So we build the committee file — sample, hospital reference list, clinical evaluation — before we file, and the free market study prices your sutures against what hospitals buy before anything ships.
How does UltraTeb Market Access sell your surgical sutures?
-
Free market study and pricing
We check where your absorbable, non-absorbable or dental sutures fit and price them for private hospitals and surgical centres and, where they can compete, UPA tenders.
-
EDA registration, end to end
We tell you which certificates need legalising, prepare the scientific-committee file where your origin needs one, and follow the registration to the notification.
-
Import, customs, duty and VAT
The import approval on MeDevice before every shipment, clearance, and the duty and VAT paid by us. We tell you which origin document gets EU, UK, EFTA or Turkish goods in at 0%.
-
Warehousing by lot and expiry
Stored and picked first-expiry-first-out, with your stock visible to you at all times.
-
Marketing and distribution
Arabic and English product pages on shop.ultrateb.com and campaigns once EDA advertising approval is in place, our sales team calling on private hospitals, surgical centres and obstetrics and gynaecology hospitals, and bids in UPA tenders where your product can compete.
“A suture file asks for patience before the first sale. We put in that work and that money ourselves, and we are paid when your sutures sell.” — Mohamed Dabees, founder, UltraTeb
Frequently asked questions
What import duty do surgical sutures pay in Egypt?
Sutures (3006.10.00.10) pay 5% and suture needles (9018.32.00.90) 2%. EU, UK, EFTA and Turkish goods enter at 0% with valid proof of origin; goods from the USA, India, China, Korea and Mexico pay the MFN rate (official tariff, NAFEZA).
Is the VAT on sutures 14% or 5%?
The official tariff line shows 14%. Law 149 of 2026 added a 5% rate for medical devices used to provide services, but the law speaks of devices, not supplies, and it is not confirmed that single-use sutures qualify. We confirm your product's rate before we price it; the adjacent surgical mesh line 3005.90.10.10 already shows 0% VAT.
Why are some sutures sent to an EDA scientific committee?
Sutures are Class IIb or III, and Class IIb and III products from countries that are not EDA reference countries are referred to EDA's specialised scientific committees with a sample, a list of hospitals already supplied and clinical data if requested (EDA import guideline). Sutures made in an EDA reference country, such as an EU member, Switzerland or the USA, skip that step.
Can sutures be imported while the EDA file is pending?
No. A sterile device filed for new registration is not released until the registration notification is issued, and each shipment also needs an EDA import approval before it ships.
Do my certificates need to be legalised?
Only if they come from a country that is not an EDA reference country, for example China, India, Turkey or Korea. See EDA reference countries.
Who pays for registration, duty and VAT with UltraTeb Market Access?
We do. Registration, import, duty and VAT, storage and marketing are funded by UltraTeb, and you are paid when your goods sell.
Where can buyers in Egypt order surgical sutures?
On UltraTeb's B2B web shop, in the surgery and device consumables category: surgery and device consumables on shop.ultrateb.com.
Sell your surgical sutures in Egypt — with zero upfront fees.
Send us your product and certificates. We check demand, the EDA route for your origin and pricing in a free market study, then register, import, store, market and sell. You're paid when we sell.